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I 

Publisher/Editor: K. 0. Cheek, Sr. aka “Dr. ligormortiP V2N6: July, 1992 

Th.*S WORLD SCANNER REPORT 

A Journal of VHF-UHF Scanner Technology & Engineering ISSN 1061-9240 

Published at: COHHtronics Engineering; PO Box 262(18; San Diego, CA 92196 Copyright (c) 1991-2 <AII Rights Reserved) $4.00 


WELCOME NEW & RETURNING READERS! 


Gee, the second semester of 1992 is upon us already! 
Already, the days are getting shorter and the downhill 
slide to Christmas has begun. (I'm just getting over 
last year's!) Thanks to a recent press release in 
"Monitoring Times” Magazine, we've had a sizeable influx 
of new readers. Cancellations and expirations are 
continuing to run very low at less than 159! so the WSR 
subscription rolls have reached an all-time high. THANK 
YOU and welcome to all! We hope to live up to and even 
exceed your fondest expectations! 


BACK-ISSUES ALWAYS AVAILABLE! 


The WSR started publishing in January, 1991, so counting 
this issue, we have released sixteen issues so far; five 
in each half-year. The back-issues will be available for 
the foreseeable future, and as time passes, we'll try to 
drop the price to an affordable level. Most of the 
material in each issue will remain relevant and pertinent 
for a long time to come, and there are fixed costs to 
keeping them in print and in stock. But we'll try to 
price them accordingly to account for economies of 
postage savings and bulk handling. The bottom line is 
that if you don't have the back-issues, you'll need them. 
See the inside-bottom of the last page for an order blank 
and prices to bring you up to date. 


APOLOGIES TO THOSE WHO WERE OFFENDED 


by my reply, last month, to a reader, John Morris, about 
scanners and the computer age. I received several 
outcries, including one from Mr. Morris. Try as we may, 

I guess it is almost impossible to avoid giving offense 
to some folks some of the time. I certainly intended no 
offense to anyone in my staunch defense of computers as 
related to scanners. I simply meant to convey that the 
Computer Age has invaded our hobby and whether we like it 
or not, it is here to stay for a while; probably forever. 
Modern programmable scanners come with a microcomputer 
inside. I suppose it is rather transparent in those 10- 
ch jobs, but if yours has 50 or more channels, there is 
just no way that you can extract the ultimate in utility 
and application without a computer to assist you in one 
form or another. I mean it, ONLY a computer can control 
another computer with ultimate efficiency and accuracy. 
Even if you use a computer to do nothing more than keep 
track of frequencies, you're accomplishing much more in 
less time than by the old hand or typewritten methods! 
Perry Joseph succinctly points this out in his continuing 
series on Scanner Frequency Management. 


The modern 400-ch PRO-2004/5/6 scanners cannot come close 
to effective utilization and realization of max potential 
without the aid of a computer and that's all there is to 
it! I'm talking fact, sum and substance here; not idle 
whim, fancy and subjective opinion. If the facts invade 
your personal comfort zone, I can understand and even 
sympathize with personal preferences for the contrary. 
But I have to do my job, and I do it matter-of-factly. I 
don't mean to be brusque and diffident; it's just that 
there's limited space in which to do the job, so I have 
to economize, even in my words. If they seem short and 
curt, please know that it is not personal. 

I understand how even today, there are people who don't 
like or appreciate the conveniences of modern technology. 
The Amish and Mennonites, for example, continue to live 
simple lives in the old way, shunning modern miracles of 
technology. I suppose there's a bit of the Amish is many 
of us in the sense that just about the time we become 
comfortable with what Life has to offer, SHAZAMM! Along 
comes a new technology to turn everything upside down. 
In the process, perhaps we tend to forget the BASICS of 
Life and Living. So I appreciate your positions, those 
of you who would prefer to hold the reins tight and 
proceed along at a leisurely gait. It's just that I 
can’t hold in the reins since my Cosmic drive is to find, 
develop and convey new ideas and ways to make scanning 
more palatable; easier to do; and at least, manageable by 
the typical hobbyist. A casual survey of the WSR's 
subscription blanks which you filled out indicates the 
great majority of Readers have computers and appear to 
know how or want to know how to use them in the scanning 
hobby. Scanning is only now coming of age in its own. 

THINK about it, and compare it to Shortwave Listening or 
even Amateur Radio. The "shortwave" spectrum consists of 
the band of frequencies from DC to 30 MHz. Sounds like a 
lot. The "scanner spectrum” starts at about 25 MHz and 
continues through 1300 MHz or even 2000 MHz, depending on 
the receiver. Now consider that DC to 30 MHz contains 
exactly the SAME amount of spectrum as 25 MHz to 55 MHz! 
Scannists have to deal with another 1245 MHz on top of 
that! It’s NOT a job that can be effectively managed by 
the casual working stiff, nor even the most brilliant 
engineer, if you want to know the truth! Scanning can be 
exploited beyond a superficial degree ONLY with the help 
of a computer, and I have to be instrumental in the 
transfer of that computer technology to the hobby. 

But fret not, please. I am always on the lookout for any 
tidbit of knowledge or gizmo that will bring increased 
enjoyment of radio to scannists. I know your time is 
limited and that you want to make the most out of it. A 
computer is one magnificent tool that will not only 




maximize your available time, but also will open new 
doors to radio for you. There are things that one person 
with a computer and a scanner can do today that an entire 
military force or spy agency could not do twenty years 
ago. Computers & dozens of other subjects hold positions 
of honor on our agenda. We will use computers like a 
mechanic uses a wrench, but the ”Horld Scanner Report " is 
not going to become a computer rag. My formal assessment 
is that since scanners come with computers built into 
them nowadays, it's not a departure from the main theme 
to apply other computers to make the itty-bitty things 
work even better! If you don't like computers, so be it; 

I don’t like 'em either. But my scanner has a half-baked 
one inside and the new HB-232 Scanner/Computer Interface 
with my $200 clunker PC/XT literally multiplies the 
utility of my PRO-2004 by a factor of somewhere between 
ten and a hundred. Some of you may not realize there is 
a computer in your scanner. That's called "transparent". 
The HB-232 will let you operate a scanner without paying 
too much attention to the computer, but your monitoring 
capability will multiply by 10-100! Such power cannot be 
ignored or overlooked in the "HSR". 

I FROM THE FIDONET, A READER'S TIP ON MOD-33 


Tuesday, June 2, 1992, Gary Ross writes: Bill: I saw a 
new PRO-2006 yesterday, Model 20-145A. Looked inside and 
saw the two diodes on the back of the display board 'in 
the clear', no potting; easy to access. 

Those diodes never were potted anyway. Nary a sweat to 
clip 'em both; one for speed and the other for cellular. 
The only difference I can tell between the PRO-2006 and 
2006A is that they did away with the DIMMER button and 
made it an ON/OFF button for the background lighting. 

Got a tip for your MOD-33, the Automatic Tape Recorder 
Switch! Instead of messing with a hard-to-find ground- 
isolated jack for the back of the scanner, just use a 
stereo phono jack, 1/8" or 1/4", and tie the R and L 
channel lugs to the MOD-33 relay contacts! Solder the R 
& L lugs of a matching stereo plug to the pair of wires 
in the Remote Cable! The grounded lug of the plug and 
jack would not be used in this case. 

EDITOR'S COMMENT: Geez, I feel ignorant! Dunno why the 
hell I never thought of that, but sure as tootin', that 
vill do the job! So simple and yet so elusive. Thanks! 

iTJMTM ALU MOD-33 in my SCANNER MODIFICATION HANDBOOK 
(Vo 1-2)-offers a neat way to trigger a tape recorder ON 
when signals are present, and to PAUSE when there are no 
signals. It works absolutely great, but the Remote Jack 
on most tape recorders is isolated from ground and will 
not work if it gets grounded to the scanner chassis. So 
I cautioned hackers to use a ground-isolated jack on the 
rear of the scanner or to employ some method to keep from 
grounding either wire of the Remote Cable. No big deal, 
just a pain in the butt. And now, Gary Ross gives us a 
most elegant solution! Bravo! 


-SflE AkTT ff EV I EW 6F whaT ' ' ^"coming! - 

The HB-232 Scanner/Computer Interface 


See the colored insert sheet with this issue for fuller 
details, but you dear readers are among the first to know 
about a soon-to-come computer interface that has the 
potential to create a whole new dimension to scanning! 
The HB-232 will do so much that you'll be a long time 
exhausting all its capabilities, ( you may never exhaust 
than all!) and yet it is simple enough to be operated 
with great effectiveness from the very start! The HB-232 
is so powerful that YOU can accomplish as much or more 
communications monitoring than an entire military force 
of only a few years ago. All you need is a PC/XT/AT/386/ 
486 or clone with 512-k RAM, a PRO-2004, PRO-2005 or PRO- 
2006 scanner, an HB-232 and a few other easily obtained 
materials. In my tests, I am using an old junker 640-k, 
XT/clone that cost me $200 last November. Actually, it 
cost $100 and the 40-Mb hard drive was another $100. 

The HB-232 allows complete two-way user interaction & 
control of the scanner from the computer’s keyboard or 

the front panel of the scanner. It's what the computer 
can do, even a clunker, that makes all the difference, 
however. Here is an example: do you get a hollow, empty 
feeling from the PRO-2004/5/6's SEARCH modes when it runs 
into and stops on useless pager frequencies, "birdies" or 
other worthless signals? I've had many requests for a 
"Search Frequency Lockout " mod. Well, it comes standard 
in the HB-232! You can EASILY tell the HB-232 which 
frequencies you don't want it to stop on during a SEARCH 
session, and it won't! You can add all your scanner’s 

birdies to the list as well as frequencies for pagers, 

data, and other non-voice signals; and even the more 

common voice frequencies which you don't want to bother 
with during a serious SEARCH session! Oh, not interested 
in entering all the birdie frequencies from your 
scanner's Owner's Manual, especially when that list is 
neither accurate nor complete? Relax; it's a simple 

matter to command the HB-232 to locate and log ALL your 
scanner's birdies while you go off and do something else. 
(This is about a 90-minute job, since it takes the 

scanner THAT long to SEARCH between 25 MHz - 1300 MHz 

anyway.) Oh, and when the HB-232 finds a "birdie”, it 
logs it into the list and then directs the scanner to 
resume SEARCH automatically. This, like many other HB- 
232 processes is an automatic, hands-off procedure. 

Never is the scanner’s normal operation affected in the 
slightest. Unlike other interfaces which can slow down 

the scanner to a snail's pace, the HB-232 doesn't do 
anything to the scanner's performance other than control 
and/or monitor it! The HB-232 Scanner/Computer Interface 
is compatible with all known scanner modifications 
including speedups with one exception: it might not be 
compatible with the PRO-2006 and a quartz-crystal speed 
increase. You might have to operate the HB-232 with a 12 
MHz PRO-2006 for a time while we seek ways to make it 
work at faster speeds. In any event, the HB-232 will 
work just fine with speeded up PRO-2004's and 2005's. 


The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" (c) 


1991-2; 


V2N6: July, 1992; Page 2 




Below is a print of the main operating screen of the Beta 
Test version of the HB-232. The final version will 
probably change a little, but we’ve got it pretty close. 



Manual = M 

Pri = ! 

Limit = L 

1 

2 

3 

Scan = S 

Speed = soace 

Srch Up = - 

4 

5 

6 

Delay = D 

Mode = ] 

Srch Dn = + 

7 

8 

9 

Lock-out = X 

Step = [ 

Direct = * 

0 

• 

Clr = bksp 

L/0 Review = V 

Reset = R 

Monitor = tab 

Prog = P 

Enter 


rev Pg V /.Logger On / /'Next Pg 

Manual ' ' ' ~ ^ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 'a 9 10 

,r Bank ■ 

82 ch 158.9700 Mhz ^ 

.Jljj T” '/ ' ' 

.1 .. - ~ . ■ ' : : Last Log Entry —-—-—-——n 

'-YiV'cH , FREQ .MODE,DELAY,LK-OUT,OP MODE,STEP, DATE , TIME .DURATION' 0,'-.i' 
. > 82'.: 158.9700-.tnfm, ' Man / 920709 .192335CT00007- 1 

Now let’s explain that screen briefly: The top line is 
the Main Menu which is hidden until you press F10 or F-1. 
The Main Menu consists of Functions, Subfunctions, Tools, 
Input/Output Control, Config or Setup and a Help File. 
Functions are Autologger, Autoprogrammer, Birdie Checker 
and a powerful Macro or Script function. Subfunctions 
include several different ways to run the anti-Birdie 
features. Tools include the standard text editor as well 
as two more that you can supply and define here (DOS 
utilities such as LIST or XTREEGOLD, etc). I/O Controls 
include toggles for the four User Switches which can be 
used to switch unrelated scanner functions and your own 
modifications by means of the computer and the HB-232. 

The next half of the screen is a reasonable facsimile of 
the scanner’s keyboard and does nothing other than serve 
as a visual cue or aid to the corresponding key functions 
at the computer. This section of the screen can be page- 
switched to display other activities. Various functions, 
if active, will display just under the Keyboard Matrix. 

The large rectangle just below the Keyboard Matrix is a 
facsimile of the scanner's LCD Display. Everything that 
can be seen in the scanner’s Display can be seen in this 
large rectangle represented almost exactly like it is in 
the scanner. You should feel very much at home here. 


mode (not Scan) on July 3. 1992. at 7:23:35 pm and the 
signal was logged for 7-seconds . If the SEARCH mode had 
been selected, the STEP field would have shown the KHz 
Increment and OP-MODE would have shown SrUp or SrDn 
instead of Man. DELAY would have shown a "D" if set and 
LK-OUT would have shown an "L",if locked out. Time is 
given in 24-hr format and duration is in HHMMSS. 

Not given here is another screen that shows the positions 
of the 4 User Switches as well as 5 "status” inputs that 
can be determined by the operator. Status inputs can be 
used to observe other normally hidden functions of the 
scanner, such as SQUELCH, on/off status of mods you did, 
hi-temperature alarms, overvoltage conditions, and much, 
much more. The uses for this input/output sensory & 
control feature are virtually unlimited, or at least 
limited mostly by the extent of your imagination! 

What more can I say here? I'm tempted to go on and on, 
but the enclosed info sheet will tell you more about the 
HB-232; enough anyway, so that you'll know whether or not 
one is for you. I will be happy to answer questions by 
mail or on my Computer BBS at (619) 578-9247 after 5:30pm 
and before 1:30pm, PDT. In fact, after the HB-232 goes 
on sale, I will provide technical support and a special 
message area for it on my BBS to make available another 
powerful resource. Registered owners will be able to 
access special script files and perhaps maintenance 
upgrades to the software. I am convinced that the HB-232 
is the best thing to come along since radio itself and 
that it will usher in a new age, a new approach to VHF- 
UHF scanning. Mark my words! The neat thing about the 
HB-232 is that it can put REAL monitoring power in the 
hands of the greenest neophyte. Imagine, then, the power 
available to the dedicated, experienced scannist! It's 
almost too good to be true, but the HB-232 is real 
enough: I've been testing one for over a month now! 
More next month, but if you want to catch the latest on 
the HB-232, feel free to log on to my BBS and download 
from the Scanner File Section a file called HB232RZ.ZIP. 
or if you can't unZIP compressed files, then download 
HB232R?.* to get all the text files on that subject. 


The bottom area indicates the most recent logging. The 
format may be confusing at first, but it is easy to 
master and the indicators on the screen make it even 
easier to see what's going on. That line is explained 
below, to show its simplicity: 

LAST LOG ENTRY is self explanatory. Immediately below 
this line is the layout or structure for the Autologger 
sequence. Immediately below the layout is the actual 
data that was last logged to a file. The example shows: 

j-Last Log Entry-j 

fll FREQ HOPE DELAY LK-OUT OP-MOOE STEP DATE TIME DURATION 
82 158.9788 nfn Man 928783 192335 888887 

which is explained as: Channel j)82 containing 158.970 MHz 
set to NFH mode. no delay and not locked out, in MANUAL 


SCANNER FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT - PART 4 
by Perry Joseph, President, DataFile, Inc. 

Developer of ProScan Frequency Managenent Systea. 


Now that I've covered some types of database programs, 
let's focus on some of the features needed to manage a 
frequency list. First, we need to consider the format 
and substance of the data. Most databases require the 
operator to setup or layout the structure of each data 
file. This "structure" consists of the name of each 
field, the type of field (alphabetic, numeric, date, 
time, etc.) and the size (width) of each field. Here is 
a prime example for you: the HB-232 Scanner/Computer 
Interface’s Autologger function creates a comma-delimited 
text file with the following field names and widths. 
This file is eminently suited for immediate export into a 
database, but the database has to be structured first: 


The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" (c) 1991-2; 


V2N6: July, 1992; Page 3 






FIELD 

NAME 

PURPOSE OF FIELD 

FIELD LENGTH 
(WIDTH) 

TYPE OF 
FIELD DATA 

CH 

Channel Logged 

3 chars 

Numeric 

FRED 

Frequency (MHz) 

9 chars 

Numeric 

MODE 

NFM, WFM or AM 

3 chars 

Alphabetic 

DELAY 

D=on; blank=off 

1 char 

Alphabetic 

LK-OUT 

L=L/0; Blank=active 

1 char 

Alphabetic 

OP MODE 

Manual, Scan or Search 

4 chars 

Alphabetic 

STEP 

Search Step Increment 

4 chars 

Numeric 

DATE 

Date of logging 

6 chars 

Date 

TIME 

Time Logging began 

6 chars 

Time 

DURATION 

Length of logging 

6 chars 

Time 


TOTAL RECORD LENGTH 

43 chars 



It's important to pay some attention here because any 
mistakes made when you set up the structure of a database 
may have to be lived with later. You will want to avoid 
miscalculating available disk space and creating a record 
size so large that when multiplied by enough records, 
winds up hogging half the hard disk {hard disk bloatus). 
This is probably not a concern for those who will only be 
keeping a few hundred records on large capacity hard 
disks, . Some database programs allow the expansion of 
existing fields or adding more fields to the record 
structure at a later date without losing data already 
entered. Making an existing structure smaller can result 
in loss of data in some programs so it is wise to use a 
database program that allows modification of the data 
structure AFTER it has been created and data entered. 

Those who share data with others may be concerned with 
compatibility of data structures and file formats. 
According to market statistics, the most popular format 
is the dBase format, files from which usually have a file 
extension name of " .DBF" . Another popular format is 
called System Data Format (SDF) which is a standard ASCII 
file where each record is fixed length, ends with a 
carriage return and line feed, and an end-of-file mark. 
(Ctrl-Z). There are other formats, too, but let's not be 
concerned with them at this time. 

Many database programs offer the ability to export/import 
to or from other popular formats. There are utility 
programs which handle all types of data conversion from 
one format to another like Data Junction by Tools & 
Techniques (800) 444-1495, or DataFlow by Information 
Management Systems (800) 477-0774. Once data is defined 
and entered, accessing the data becomes the main task. 
Assuming we are going to track more than a hundred 
frequencies and don’t want to wait for the program to 
look up a specific record (anything over one second is 
"having to wait" in this author's opinion), we will want 
to use a feature called indexing. The more powerful 
database programs offer this feature. Indexing takes the 
form of an auxiliary file based on a key field or fields 
of each record. Indexing is, in fact, sorting a data 
file without having to change the physical locations of 
the records. Indexes can be "active” and are built as we 
enter data; unlike physical sorting which is usually a 
routine, separate from entering data and may require 


additional time depending on how fast your computer is 
and how much data you have. 

To give you a basic example of indexing, let's say we 
’’index” a file on the frequency field. The database 
program builds an index file by looking at each record’s 
frequency and determining the record's position based on 
numerical order. When we request a specific record, the 
program looks at the index file and works on "process of 
elimination". Say we have 20 records. The first move is 
to discover if the record is in the first 10 or last 10 
records. If it is determined to be in the first 10 
records, then it determines if the record is in the first 
5 or second 5 records and continues this "halving" 
process until the record number is found and the physical 
record is pointed to. Obviously this is faster than 
having to look at each physical record until the correct 
record is found, unless of course the record happens to 
be at the beginning of the file. You can have multiple 
index files as well. In addition to the frequency index, 
we could have an alphabetical index for the name or 
location or a combination of both for a frequency user. 
Of course, the more index files we have, the more disk 
space we use. 

Printing data is important too. We can utilize the index 
files so that we print our data in a specific order. We 
will also want to print data based on a specific 
condition or "boundary". This allows us to print 
specific records without having to print them all at 
once. If we are diligent about keeping our data to a 
minimum, and if we use 8-1/2” by 11" paper, we can print 
approximately 80 characters on each line of our report 
using draft mode (roughly 10 characters per inch). We 
can increase the number of characters per line by using 
the "condensed" (17-cpi) mode, assuming the printer is 
capable. Ideally, we will find a way to print a full 
frequency record on one line. This saves paper, not to 
mention trees. These are some of the features needed to 
minimize the time in managing our data. For those who 
find these details tedious, boring or simply don’t have 
the time, money or urge to become a database programmer, 
STAY TUNED. In my next installment, I will provide you 
with an easy solution to frequency management which 
offers the powers of a professional database package for 
less than the typical database price. Until then, I hope 
you’re enjoying your Summer. Pass the buns please! 


SCANNER FREQUENCY ACTIVITY TAGGER 
FOR THE PRO-2004/5/6 & MAYBE OTHER SCANNERS 

By: Professor Peabody 


Greetings Fellow Scannerfans! Good stuff this month! 
Have you ever purchased a frequency guide and rushed 
headfirst to punch in all those new freqs? And then, 
after loading up a Block of 400 channels, sat back and 

hit the SCAN button .only to wait .and wait?... 

And then you go get a cold can of something or another 
and come back and wait some more. Then, wow! You jump! 


The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" (c) 1991-2; 


V2N6: July, 1992; Page 4 






You've got one now!! One freq has some activity! Great! 
It's a keeper. Now you only have to wait for 399 more. 
(Gloom) About then you wish you had some way of finding 
out which freqs are duds and which ones are good. Well 
listen up, Pards, I’ve got a quick and cheap way to tag 
active channels. A neat little function lurks on the 
keypad that just waits to blossom and do the job. Its 
the lowly LOCKOUT key. HUH? Say what? Yeah, that’s 
right. Finally, there’s a great use for the sucker! 

The LOCKOUT key, in conjunction with the LOCKOUT REVIEW 
key, will form a great team to tag by LOCKing OUT all 
active, but ONLY active channels. My slick & wicked, 
easy little circuit waits for a SQUELCH break and then 
generates a half-second pulse to activate a single CMOS 
bilateral switch that's wired into the keyboard to 
electronically press the LOCKOUT key. Then the scanner 
resumes SCAN until the next squelch break. Upon the next 
break, that channel gets locked out also. As active 
channels get locked out, the odds of finding even less 
active channels are increased. You know which ones are 
busy and you don't have to worry about writing down who's 
who because they are all tagged with the Lockout. You 
can even leave the radio on when you're gone and it will 
still find and tag the active freqs. Obviously, you want 
to start the operation with no channels LockedOut and let 
the AutoTagger do the work for you. 

Of course, the same caveats apply as for the Search & 
Store Modules; namely RF & atmospheric burps will break 
squelch, but its easy later on, to see which ones are 
Intermods and which are truly active. So, after an 
AutoTag Session, turn off the AUTOTAG function, set the 
radio to channel 1 , and press the LOCKOUT REVIEW key to 
quickly scroll through ail the tagged active channels. 
Write down on a piece of paper or better yet, put them 
right into your computer so the OL’ FATMAN (or the new 
HB-232 Interface) can load them back into your radio in a 
flash. If you originally put all the freqs into the 
computer to have an interface load em' in, all you have 
to do is remove the unused freqs; do a sort and you're 
ready to reload with just the plain good stuff. 

The circuit is a snap with only 2 chips: one half of a 
"one shot" and one quarter of a CMOS switch. If you 
built & installed the Extended Delay function (MOD-29), 
use the other half of its 74HC123 chip for economy, if 
you like. The Q output of the 74HC123A is connected to a 
CMOS bilateral switch which controls two pins of the 
keyboard connector that make the LOCKOUT function. The 
switch should be very close to the keyboard connector 
with only 1-1/2" inch wires from U-2, Pins 1 & 2. The 
other wires can be of any practical length. A +5v high 
from the Q output puts a +5v high at the control pin of 
the switch and makes the switch close. The 1/2-sec pulse 
will come at the end of the scanner's squelch break to 
Lockout the channel. I experimented with a number of 
trigger points and found the Squelch Gate to be best. 
Other points caused 2 LOCKOUT pulses to be created which 
locked out not only the desired channel, but the next 
one, too! Yuk! 


One thing to note: I have set up the circuit so that when 
you enable the TAG function it will immediately output a 
Test Lockout pulse. This is an operational check, so 
just press the LOCKOUT key to remove the lockout and 
you're ready to start the tagging operation. Just be 
sure to unLock ALL channels before you start AutoTagging. 
That's it for this month's circuit, so enjoy to the max! 

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE: Especially if the AutoTag function 
seems to be erratic, add another one (maybe two) 2.2-uF 
capacitors in parallel with C-1. Otherwise, there is 
nothing unusual or persnickety about this circuit. If it 
doesn't work, you’ve made an error somewhere. 

OTHER SCANNERS? I dunno, but why not? All you want is 
for the SQUELCH gate to trigger a 1/2-sec control pulse 
to a bilateral switch, the contacts of which should be 
wired to your scanner's keyboard matrix, the one column 
and one row that’s for your LOCKOUT key. Study your 
schematic diagram to make this concept clear. There is a 
major difference between the SQUELCH gate circuits of the 
PRO-2004/5/6 and other scanners that you will want to 
note: The PRO-2004's SQUELCH gate at CN-504, Pin 9 is 
high at +5v when SQUELCH is set and low at 0-v when 
SQUELCH breaks. The PRO-2005/6 are the same, but at CN- 
3, Pin 5. Most other scanners use an opposite logic 
gate: low for SQUELCH SET and high for SQUELCH BREAK. 
No problem with my circuit, but a minor change will be 
necessary. Refer to the schematic and make the following 
change for most all scanners other than the PRO-2004/5/6: 


_ SCHEMATIC CHANGE FOR MOST OTHER SCANNERS 

1. Connect Pin 2 of U-1 to the +5v Supply. 

2. Remove the ground at U-1, Pin 1, and use Pin 1 for 

the input of your SQUELCH GATE signal. _ 

No other changes are necessary. 


NOTE: If the SQUELCH logic in your scanner is +6 to +8v, 
then be sure to power this circuit with the same levels. 
74HC CMOS circuits must always be powered with the same 
voltage, give or take 0.5-v, as the high signal level! 

NOTE: For information about the SQUELCH gate signal 
location in your scanner, refer to back issues of the 
”lfSR”, V1N4, V1N7 & V1N9 for detailed data about the 
NFM/SQUELCH chip, logic & pinout for your scanner. 

FATMAN INTERFACE UPDATE : By the way, I received the 
newest version of FILE EXPRESS that I use with the FATMAN 
and it has a new feature that is well suited to scanner 
databases. A tagging function is available for cut & 
paste operations with sections of your database. This 
makes it easy to rebuild your main database and to 
manipulate and change data as you wish. This will work 
hand in hand with loading in new freqs that you found 
with the AUTOTAG function. FILE EXPRESS is available as 
shareware. I would like to hear from any of you who 
built the FATMAN Interface and about your results. 
Remember, technical help with problems is always 
available from Doc and me. /Prof Peabody 


The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" (c) 1991-2; 


V2N6: July, 1992; Page 5 




HOW TO DO SCANNER MODIFICATIONS 
or 

HOW TO PROPERLY HACK YOUR SCANNER 


That Is the question, it seems. For some reason that I 
haven't determined, there has been a rash of mishacked 
scanners come across my bench. For the first couple of 
years after my SCANNER MODIFICATION HANDBOOKS were out, I 
was pleasantly surprised at the very few mishacks and 
serious errors that came to my attention. Frankly, I was 
prepared for a flood, and when few came, I was lulled 
into a false sense of security. Maybe it's a new 
generation now; maybe other factors have entered into 
play, but all I know for sure is that I've seen an awful 
lot of shoddy work lately; all of a sudden-like. It's 
time to get back to the basics. Several common factors 
emerge which are worth talking about a little: 

SOLDERING TECHNIQUES : Frankly, good soldering is neither 
an art nor a science. It's just a part of the job, but 
there are a couple of things to know in order to make 
your work successful. A little too much heat is better 
than too little heat! Low heat can result in cold solder 
joints. If they don't cause trouble now, they will 
later, probably at a most inopportune time. Your 
soldering pencil should be rated at a minimum of 35-watts 
and preferably closer to 50-watts. The tip of the 
soldering iron should be of the "iron clad" variety; not 
copper. After it's up to temperature, the tip should be 
wiped on a sopping wet sponge before and after every 
solder connection. This keeps it clean and ready to melt 
solder. Immediately prior to making a solder joint, 
apply a dab of solder to the tip and then touch the tip 
to the connection; wait for one second and then melt 
solder to the connection, NOT to the tip of the iron. 
This process will require another second. The remove the 
solder, but leave the soldering tip on the joint for 
another second and then remove it. After the joint has 
cooled, it should be bright and shiny; not gray and 
wrinkled. Solder, at the right temperature, will flow 
into the heated joint to make a permanent connection. 

USE OF HOOKUP WIRE is an underrated subject. You should 
use only good quality, small gauge, stranded, and very 
flexible hookup wire for your scanner hacking projects. 
This eliminates Radio Shack's selection of "welding 
cables” that they call hookup wire. The insulation drips 
like melted candle wax and these wires are much too stiff 
and rigid for our light duty needs. Surprisingly, Radio 
Shack used to have some great wire, though it's been 
formally discontinued now. Still, most stores have some 
in stock, and you should lay in a supply. But it's not 
what you think it is! We're talking about their Computer 
LAN cable, #278-776 (25-cond) and #278-775 (9-cond). You 
have to strip off the outer gray insulation and then 
remove the braided and foil shields, but what's left is 
some of the finest color-coded hookup wire you ever saw 
in your Life! This stuff is so great, you'll wonder how 
you ever did without it. It's very flexible; strong and 
easily handled in most all circumstances. 


I cannot over emphasize the use of good quality hook up 
wire in your hacking adventures. Use ONLY the type of 
stuff I have described above, and if you can't locate any 
or don’t know what I am talking about, then send me a 
SASE and request a "hookup wire sample" which I'll be 
delighted to send. If worse comes to worse and your 
local Radio Shacks are out of the good stuff, go to your 
local electronics supply house and ask to see a sample of 
their 25-conductor, shielded computer LAN cable. That's 
the stuff that you probably want. Send me a sample for 
my evaluation if there is any doubt. 

INSTALL THINGS WITH A PLAN or else suffer some expensive 
or heart-breaking consequences later. What do I mean by 
"Plan"? Harumph! I know you better than you know 
yourself. See, if you sneak into your scanner and pull 
off a mod successfully, it won't be long before you’re 
back in there sticking something else in. And then 
again! And again. If you don’t take this into account 
from the very start, then your scanner is going to get 
cluttered and boogered up before you know it. And then, 
what if trouble arises with some real hairy mod? Well, 
your troubleshooting and diagnosis efforts will then be 
severely hampered for one thing, and if you later draw a 
blank and ask me to service the unit for you, I probably 
won't do it! There’s just no way that I can invest 8-16 
hours of my labor, only to draw a blank like you might. 

The moral here is to install each and every mod in an out 
of the way place as if there will be a hundred more to 
follow. Dress all wiring cleanly and neatly and out of 
the way. Wire bundles should he routed around the 
perimeter of the scanner, for the most part. Little 
circuit boards can be soldered to the metal sides of the 
scanner. The power transformer can be removed to create 
more room for the larger mods, and besides, it's better 
to power the scanner from an external DC power supply 
anyway. Runs cooler and makes things last longer. 

For the most part, digital modifications are not critical 
with regard to wire length. Exceptions to this include 
extended memory modifications and mods which have to 
connect to the Keyboard matrix of the scanner.. In these 
two exceptions, keep the wire runs extremely short. 
Otherwise, digital mods can be installed most anywhere. 
RF mods have to have short wire leads and audio mods 
should have some attention paid to wire length, though 
not as critical. Another rule of thumb is that all 
ground wires should be as short as possible, while DC 
power leads can be of any practical length. Hobbyists 
tend to be impatient and hurried in their work. Force 
yourself to slow down; do things one step at a time, and 
make each step as perfect as possible before proceeding 
to the next. Use Davy Crockett's motto: "Be sure you 
are right and then go ahead". 

THE RIGHT TOOLS & MATERIALS are very important to good 
hacking! For Pete's Sake, throw away those rolls of 
black electrical tape and duct tape. Same for cellophane 
and masking tapes. Yuk! Sometimes, Scotch 810 Magic 
Tape can be useful for wrapping wire bundles, but better 


The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" (c) 1991-2; 


V2N6: July, 1992; Page 6 




AUTOTAGGER CIRCUIT FOR PRO-2004/5/6 & OTHER SCANNERS 


* FfiOfAi rflbF' fl&A S&bY !\l ktc?? tv* ^/i/i/>/ v/ Airt»/ * »rz «- 


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S&UELCH. 
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KEEP THESE 3. Wipes short. 1 

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* - PRO -2004 : Crt-S04 Pitn 
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SEE TEXT FOR. OTHER. SCANNERS l 


QTH£K 5CMN£P MOTE 


SCANNER KEySOQRD 
CONNECTO R 

CN-SOZ- PRO-IOOH 
CN-501 - PRO-2 005)b 

SEE TEXT FOR OTHER 
SCANNERS 


uuwj/o- rnv~> /. XP S&.L0UC IS &R£AK= HIGH - -- 

TEXT FOR OTHER SCANNERS l f VD * e J~ = . OMJU ,^ T Sff 

U-l PiNo. To DC SUPPLY LINE AND SCANNERS 

NOTE: SCouNEcTioWs 7o ScamNeR APE L ‘?'J>» US£ 

te&UiREO: + DC GROUND. „ >T ^ TH£ A,*TT. 

f<2tl£l_Cri GATE . KEYED COLU/filf i C- l * CuiT As SHouN APPLIES ONcV 

Keyboard RoW (for lockout.) To the pro.loon/s/g. 

3 . Lockout fvrfcriobl feauiRFP j lockout' xzJieW riot kIbcf^ar^/ 
The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" (c) 1991-2; V2N6: July, 1992; Page 7 Josr«*»/.' 


CONFIDENTIAL SUBSCRIPTION ORDER: Please Print Clear! 


STREET:_ 

CITY:_STATE:_ZIP:_ 

AMOUNT 

PHONE :[ _)_ENCLOSED: |_ 

THE BELOj QUESTIONS ME OPTimL BUT KILL HELP US HELP Ml 
Radio Interests? (Put YEARS OF EXPERIENCE in each block that applies 
VHF-UHF Amateur CB Shortwave Professio 

Scanning?_Radio?_Radio?_Listen ing?_Radio?_ 

Career/Profession 

Or Occupation?_ 

List makes 4 models of your scanners 4 other radio equipment: 


Professional 
Radio?_ 


Describe your technical abilities 4 interests here 


18/31/92 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 4 ORDER BLANK V2N6 
USA RATES: (Canada *19$: Other Foreion +2j$/surf or *49$/Air 


»SR BACK ISSUES ONLY USA » Check Items 

Any Single Copy, your choice 1 ea $ A.99 t _ 

1991 (1st 6-mo, Jan-May/Jun) 5 ea $13.59 _ 

1991 (2nd 6-mo, Jul-Nov/Dec) 5 ea $13.59 _ 

1991 (1st Year, Jan-Nov/Dec) 19 ea $23.99 _ 

1992 (3rd 6-mo, Jan-May/Jun) 5 ea $15.99 _ 

1991- 2 (All the above) 15 ea $35.99 _ 

HSR CURRENT SUBSCRIPTIONS ONLY 

1992 (July-Nov/Dec) 6-raos 5 ea $15.99 _ 

1992- 3 (July - Hay/Jun) 1-yr 19 ea $25.99 _ 

1992-4 (July - May/Jun) 2-yr 29 ea $45.99 _ 

OTHER LITERATURE AVAILABLE 

HOBBY RADIO BUYER’S DIRECTORY $14.95 ppd surf _ 

SCANNER MOD HNDBX, VoJ-1: $17.95 + $3.99 S4H _* 

SCANNER MOD HNDBK, VoI-2: $17.95 + $3.99 S4H _* 

* Canada US$4 S4H: Other Foreion US$5 S4H: extra for Air Hail 
HAKE REMITTANCE PAYABLE IN US FUNDS TO: COMHTMHICS EHGIMttlM 
Include a 119 S.A.S.E. and one loose extra stamp if you want 
hobby info 4 personal reply! Business inquiries exempt. 








still are cable ties, heat shrinkable tubing and short 
lengths of bundling "spaghetti". Anything is better than 
tape! NEVER use tape to insulate solder joints & wire 
splices! You can bet your bottom dollar the stuff will 
come undone when you least expect it! Uncouth! 

Tools_a good subject. Yes, I have a few cool thousand 

invested in good tools of the trade but you know what? I 
use less than a hundred bucks worth for 95$ of my needs. 
Following is what I call a good, functional tool kit for 
hacking & chopping scanners. I don't like a lot of Radio 
Shack's stuff, but what I listed below will be more than 
adequate for your needs 


CHK DESCRIPTION 

RADIO SHACK 
CATALOG No. 

_ Electric drill, 3/8", w/bits to 3/8" 

K-Mart, etc 

_ Diagonal cutting pliers, small 

64-1841 

_ Locking Longnose Pliers 

64-1864 

_ Adjustable wrench, 4" (small) 

K-Mart, etc 

_ Precision flatblade screwdrivers 

64-1948 

_ Precision crosspoint screwdrivers 

64-1962 

_ Mini forceps 

64-1910 

_ Nibbling Tool 

64-823 

_ Lighted magnifier 

63-848 

_ Screwdrivers, assorted 

64-1823 

_ Needle file set 

64-1985 

_ Knife set 

64-1801 

_ Hot Glue Gun & Glue sticks 

K-Mart, etc 

_ Soldering pencil holder/cleaner 

64-2078 

_ Soldering pencil base unit 

64-2080 

_ Soldering element 

64-2082 

_ Soldering tips 64-2089 & 64-2074 

_ Desoldering tool 

64-2098 

_ Pocket Pen light 

61-2626 

_ Disposable butane lighter 

Anywhere 


Now, all self-respecting hackers need "stuff" besides 
just tools. It's all self explanatory, though: 


| The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" (c) 1 


_ Silver bearing solder 

64-013 

_ Micro-mini solder 

64-005 

_ Desoldering braid 

64-2090 

_ Cleaner/Degreaser Solvent 

64-3322 

_ Rosin Flux Remover 

64-3324 

_ Double-sided tape 

64-2344 

_ Velcro (Hook & loop) strips 

64-2345 

_ Epoxy resin 

64-2313 

_ Super Glue 

64-2308 

_ Silicone rubber sealant 

64-2314 

_ Precision Lubricator 

64-2301 

And then, besides tools and "stuff", the 

hacker needs a 

small supply of widgets, gidgets and basic fasteners: 

_ Standoffs w/screws 

276-195 

_ Perf board stock 

276-1395 

_ Machine screws 64-3010. 

3011 & 3012 

_ Machine nuts 64-3017, 

3018 & 3019 

_ Flat washers 

64-3022 

_ Grommets 

64-3025 

_ Wire ties 

278-1632 

_ Heat Shrinkable Tubing 

278-1627 

_ Dynamite; two-sticks; for last resort 

? 


Now here's the crazy thing about it all. You can take or 
leave these lists of tools, stuff and widgets which are 
not going to make or break you as a hacker. There's 
something else that I can't really give you directly; 
only awaken you to it: ATTITUDE! An ounce of the right 
attitude will go farther than a 100 lbs of tools and 
stuff. You've got to PLAN your hacking attack; stick to 
a methodology; and be patient. Yes, you have to be 
prepared with the right tools & materials, but putting 
attitude & patience at the top of the list will help the 
rest of the list take care of itself. If you are a 
novice hacker, don't outsmart me and take shortcuts. 
Follow along for a while and get used to the taste of 
success. I may seem to take the LONG WAY around at 
times, but it's with the BIG PICTURE in mind. /Bill 

991-2; V2N6: July, 1992; Page 8 


COMMTRONICS ENGINEERING 
The "WORLD SCANNER REPORT" 
PO BOX 262478 
SAN DIEGO, CA 92196-2478 


V2N6 

920630 


jj IN THIS ISSUE 

ISSN-mi-9240 

FIRST CLASS MAIL 



+ Back Issues of the HSR Always Available 
+ Apologies To Those Hho Here Offended Last Month 
t Computers A Scanning Discussed Again 

♦ A Reader's Tip for HOD-33; Automatic Tape Recorder Switch 

t Introducing The Coming Hew HB-232 Scanner/Computer Interface 

♦ Scanner Frequency Management; Part 4 

+ AutoTagger For Active Frequencies; A Great Hew Modification! 
t FATMAH Computer Interface Update 
+ How to Properly Hack and Modify Tour Scanners 
*JMJ m: The few Holistic PRO-43; A handheld PR0-2U6?